The idiosyncrasy, the deadpan humour with a hint of darkness, the stunning framing of every scene... every Anderson trademark is present in spades. The real achievement here is that unlike in previous efforts, Moonrise Kingdom is so well-crafted and the plot so perfectly suited to his style that none of Anderson's quirks come off as gimmicks - rather, they each feel integral to the manner in which the story is being told. Easily the strongest effort of his career, backed by a great ensemble cast.

what a beautiful and fun love story. every single character is nicely constructed and easy to relate to. bob balaban as a kind of omniscient narrator who gets in and out of the story as he pleases is a very clever touch.

The plot is absolutely delightful and sweet. It's such a touching and loving story which also feels like a love letter to the children's adventure books of which Suzy reads throughout the film. Though they read these books, the children long for an adventure of their own and have finally embarked on one. The characters are equally enchanting. Sam and Suzy are somehow both old beyond their years but also very much still children. They have obvious intelligence and wisdom…

All of the technical Wes Anderson characteristics are there: the movie is bright and colorful, the camera moves perfectly, and there’s this omniscient, walkin’, talkin’ garden gnome who pops up every once in a while to walk you through things. At best, I like that stuff, and at worst, I don’t mind it. What I do mind and don’t like are the performances of Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. They are children only in the sense that both actors were…